Another Bear Of A Team In Chicago Super Bowl Champs Get Schedule Break -- Biggest Surprise: Oilers

September 5, 1986|By Jerry Greene of The Sentinel Staff

NFL ''experts'' are sheep. Stick a theory under their noses and they will follow you anywhere. This year's pet theory is that the Chicago Bears will not win a second consecutive Super Bowl simply because nobody has done it for a long time.

Baa.

Wasn't anybody paying attention last season? Didn't anyone notice how awesome the Bears were? That wasn't Buddy Ryan out there killing quarterbacks, that was the Bears.

And hasn't anyone told you that the NFL's ''parity'' scheduling had a major breakdown this season? Somehow the Bears were awarded the schedule that should have gone to Buffalo -- namely the easiest schedule in the league.

I'm giving the Bears four losses just to be charitable to the rest of the league. Actually, it's hard to figure how they should lose more than twice.

Surprise of the year? Houston. The Oilers will take advantage of being in the world's weakest division and make the playoffs.

Second surprise? Detroit. The Lions will figure out how to win a couple of games on the road and edge Dallas for the NFC's second wild-card berth.

The more logical pick for Tampa Bay is 6-10, but let's give the Bucs the benefit of the doubt -- and the benefit of an easy schedule.

There are six great games on tap for the regular season's last weekend. In the NFC, Chicago will beat Dallas and Detroit will beat Atlanta to keep the Cowboys out of the playoffs. And the Rams will beat the 49ers for the Western crown.

In the AFC, Denver will beat Seattle and the Raiders will kill the Colts to determine the outcome of the Western debate. And on the last Monday night game, Miami will beat New England to clinch a wild-card spot.

The playoffs will start with the Dolphins beating the Raiders by 10 and the 49ers beating the Lions by 7 in the wild-card games.

Then in the AFC, Miami will upset Denver by 7, and the Jets will riddle the Oilers by 17. In the NFC, the Bears will beat the 49ers by 2, and the Rams will beat the Giants by 10.

The Jets will beat the Dolphins by 5 to take the AFC title, and the Bears will barely get by the Rams by 1 for the NFC crown.